North Hollywood, Laurel Canyon Boulevard. As soon as Judith started her day at work, she was busy with various tasks. She first submitted the approval procedures for a loan, then made phone calls to several individuals whose loans were due soon. The banking job seemed stable, but she was swamped all day long.
What was even more frustrating was handling large sums of money every day while being broke herself. After making two collection calls, Judith saw the name of Sand Sea Entertainment and Ronan Anderson on her list and furrowed her brows slightly.
Under normal circumstances, there was no need to chase payments before they were due. However, in special cases, according to the terms of the contract, the bank could issue reminders or even initiate early withdrawals.
Judith couldn't help but shake her head at the thought of the repayment ability of Sand Sea Entertainment and Ronan Anderson. It wouldn't be long before both went bankrupt.
Fortunately, the loan they signed was secured, with the loan amount only seventy percent of the collateral's value. Whether it was real estate or the film copyrights of Sand Sea Entertainment, they were considered good assets. This loan shouldn't turn into bad debt.
Oh right, Ronan Anderson said he would come to repay today? Sand Sea Entertainment hasn't produced any movies recently, and even the employees are leaving. How would Ronan Anderson repay?
Would the bank have to seize the film copyrights and the apartment?
Five minutes passed, and Judith saw Ronan. She was slightly surprised; the last time she saw him, he had messy hair and a face full of despair, like a homeless person on the street.
But now? Ronan Anderson had neatly combed hair, a bright face, and a physique that complemented his Armani suit. The glasses on his face concealed his sharp gaze, adding a touch of maturity.
He was practically a handsome man!
Judith's attention was completely drawn to Ronan, so much so that she almost ignored the woman in her forties.
"Hello, Miss Judith," Ronan greeted politely.
"Uh..." Judith quickly averted her gaze. "Hello, Mr. Anderson."
"I'm here to handle the loan repayment for Sand Sea Entertainment and myself," Ronan said.
Judith was even more surprised. "Are you repaying early?"
Without wasting time on explanations, Ronan pulled out a chair and sat down. "I'll settle both loans, including the interest accrued until today, in one go."
Judith was taken aback; this was completely different from what she knew.
"Is that not allowed?" Ronan said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I remember the contract allows for early repayment."
Judith quickly regained her composure. "Ah, yes, early repayment is allowed." She couldn't help but feel curious. "You... have you raised the money?"
Ronan shrugged. "Of course, how else would I repay?"
Stabilizing her thoughts and dismissing her surprise, Judith cautiously asked, "Where did you raise the funds from?"
Ronan replied calmly, "Rest assured, the funds are entirely legal. Other details are business secrets, forgive me for not disclosing." He glanced at Mary. "You handle the loan repayment with Miss Judith."
An hour later, Mary completed all the formalities, and Ronan prepared to leave.
He extended his right hand to Judith. "Hopefully, I won't receive any more collection notices from you in the future."
Judith forced a professional smile. "I hope so too."
After leaving the meeting room with Mary, Ronan didn't leave the bank but went straight to the elevator lobby.
"Is everything okay?" he asked in a low voice.
Mary immediately replied, "Everything's fine."
Ronan pressed the elevator button. "Let's go find the credit manager."
Busy for the morning, Judith received news from a colleague. Sand Sea Entertainment and Ronan Anderson, who had just repaid their loans, had found the credit manager and applied for a $3 million mortgage loan.
"How is that possible?" Judith couldn't believe it.
Her colleague said, "Why not? Ronan Anderson repaid early, proving his good credit and repayment ability. It's entirely in line with the procedures to reapply for a loan."
Judith shook her head. "That's not what I meant. He just repaid today."
The colleague leaned in and whispered, "I asked the assistant to the manager. Ronan Anderson presented a proof of $10 million from Bank of America to the manager. With the film copyrights and real estate as collateral, the manager approved the loan, and the rest was just a formality."
Judith was completely stunned. "Ten million dollars?"
"Yes," the colleague sighed, patting Judith's shoulder lightly. "You lost a big client. Otherwise, you'd get a commission from this loan..."
Judith bit her lip; Sand Sea Entertainment had always been her client.
"Did I misjudge Ronan Anderson and Sand Sea Entertainment?" she murmured.
Leaving the bank, Ronan went to the Los Angeles branch of Merrill Lynch Securities and finalized an agreement with a highly reputable stockbroker, signing a brokerage agreement.
He didn't need advice from the broker; he only required the broker to buy and sell stocks according to his instructions.
Stock brokerage commissions operated on a flexible mechanism, with lower rates for higher investments and trading volumes.
Ronan's main targets were Yahoo and Cisco. Before investing, he conducted detailed research. Yahoo's opening price in February was $64, with a peak of $74 that month. After Cisco's stock split last year, the price was only $5, but it had now risen to nearly $14.
Undoubtedly, these two stocks were very popular, with various positive news constantly coming out.
Ronan wasn't a stock market expert in his previous life, but he remembered some major stocks. Cisco had once been the world's number one in terms of market capitalization, and Yahoo wasn't far behind. However, it seemed to have declined after 2000; Ronan didn't know how long it had remained strong after 2000.
This meant that he couldn't manipulate every stock. He could only instruct the broker to gradually acquire these stocks and then sell them before the market became unstable after 2000.
After 2000, the
risk increased exponentially, and there were bound to be fewer big shots inside and outside the industry. Any movement could lead to significant changes.
Ronan planned to invest Abu Dhabi's $6 million and the bank's $3 million loan into the stock market as soon as possible, in both company and personal accounts.
He would leave another $1 million as emergency funds.
Unfortunately, with his qualifications and conditions, he couldn't establish a fund for the time being, which would make investment more convenient.
Placing orders to buy stocks, $9 million would gradually enter the market, causing little disturbance.
"Mr. Anderson."
Before leaving Merrill Lynch, the stockbroker shook hands with Ronan. "Your needs are our pursuit."
Ronan was polite, smiling. "No need to be polite; I hope this will be a pleasant cooperation, Scott."
The stockbroker named Scott shook his hand firmly. "I was just transferred from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. It's my honor to meet a client like you and serve you."
Ronan nodded, simply saying, "Pleasant cooperation."
Undeniably, money could change many things in this world. Just by roughly mentioning the investment amount at Merrill Lynch, he received top-notch treatment.
Scott smiled and said, "Pleasant cooperation."
Such big clients were hard to come by.
Leaving Merrill Lynch, Ronan asked Mary to return to the company, while he went to the car market and bought a brand new Cadillac. After returning to the company, he reviewed his work log and planned his next steps.
He needed to recruit a director for "Human Purge Plan" as soon as possible. Once he had a director, he could assemble the corresponding backstage team and even the main actors.
The script needed revisions; the initial version looked good, but it was mostly aimed at attracting Arab investors and didn't fully meet the shooting requirements. He could personally revise the script, and after hiring a director, he could also consider their opinions.
Oh, and there was the blogging plan, which could be postponed for now.
Then there were the connections. Currently, the main business was films, and connections were crucial in Hollywood. Although Old Anderson was conservative, he handled connections well and had some reputation in the industry.
However, Young Anderson was arrogant, thinking his abilities and talents could overcome all obstacles. Since taking over Sand Sea Entertainment, he had almost abandoned all of Old Anderson's connections.
These not only needed to be picked up again but also expanded further.
How to expand connections in Hollywood? The most basic method was to frequently attend banquets and parties.
Many banquets and parties were filled with investors, producers, directors, actors, and agents. The initial intentions of some projects were often established during social interactions.
Ronan informed Mary to find suitable industry parties.
With a clear plan in mind, Ronan often didn't leave the office until nearly 9 p.m. When he returned to his apartment, he spent three more hours revising the script for "Human Purge Plan."
Entrepreneurship is hard with many difficulties.
Even for someone who had been reborn, with the advantage of foresight, hard work and dedication were still necessary.